Sara Sax

Sara Sax
Sara Sax (1925) decorating a vase
Born	November 1, 1870 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Died	September 9, 1949(1949-09-09) (aged 78) Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Other names	Sarah Sax
Occupation(s)	Decorative artist, designer
Known for	Pottery, vellum plaque paintings
Movement	Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau

Sara Sax (1870 – 1949) was an American decorative artist and designer, known for her work in ceramics, and scenic landscape paintings on vellum.[1] She was one of the staff at the Rookwood Pottery Company of Cincinnati.[2] Sax was acclaimed for her hand painted floral and peacock feather motifs on ceramics, and her mastery of glazing.[2] She also went by Sarah Sax.

Biography

Sara Sax was born November 1, 1870, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was the daughter of Selina (née Harris) and Moritz Sax.[1][3]

She was part of the staff at Rookwood Pottery Company of Cincinnati, from 1896 to 1931.[2] Sax was on the forefront of the Arts and Crafts movement, and her contributions elevated the standing of Rookwood Pottery.[2][4] Her use of the glaze French Red was of particular note, and was used almost exclusively by Sax.[2][5] She was constantly working with the latest glazes and technology.[5] Sax was an early user of the translucent vellum glaze, and experimented with combining the vellum glaze with relief carved slip decorations.[5]

Sax's work has been part of exhibitions, including the Clark Art Institute (1993) in Williamstown, Massachusetts;[6] and the Kansas City Jewish Museum (2002) in Leawood, Kansas.[7]

Her pottery work can be found in public collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City;[8] the Philadelphia Museum of Art;[9] the Cincinnati Art Museum;[10] the Indianapolis Museum of Art;[11] and the Art Institute of Chicago.[12]

• Selected works by Sax
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See also

• Kataro Shirayamadani

References

1. Rookwood Pottery Potpourri. C. R. Leonard and D. Coleman. 1980. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-9603818-0-7 – via Google Books.
2. Batchelor, Bob (September 2020). Rookwood: The Rediscovery and Revival of an American Icon--An Illustrated History. Quarto Publishing Group USA. pp. 124, 104. ISBN 978-1-63159-863-0 – via Google Books.
3. Haverstock, Mary Sayre; Vance, Jeannette Mahoney; Meggitt, Brian L. (2000). Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary. Kent State University Press. p. 755. ISBN 978-0-87338-616-6.
4. "Sara Sax Biography". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
5. Ellis, Anita J. (1992). Rookwood Pottery: The Glorious Gamble. Cincinnati Art Museum. pp. 125, 148–149. ISBN 978-0-8478-1603-3.
6. "Exhibit traces Rookwood Pottery's glory days". The Republican. 1993-08-22. p. 108. Retrieved 2024-07-04 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Industrious Art, Women Designers Celebrated in Exhibition of Art Pottery". The Kansas City Star. 2002-03-29. p. 163. Retrieved 2024-07-04 – via Newspaper.com.
8. "Designed by Sara Sax, Vase with poppies". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
9. "Vase". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
10. "Vase". Cincinnati Art Museum. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
11. "Vase 1904". The Indianapolis Museum of Art Collection. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
12. Sax, Sara (1926), Vase, Art Institute of Chicago, retrieved 2024-07-04